The invention set forth in this specification pertains to new and improved psychographs. More specifically it pertains to psychographs of the type in which a planchette or small table is moved relative to the upper surface of a bottom member so as to indicate various indicia.
Unfortunately there is an absence of generally accepted generic terminology which can be used in designating psychographs of the type to which the present invention pertains. Since the term "psychograph" was used in the British Provisional Patent Specification No. 173 of 1854 to designate a device which is somewhat related to the devices of the present invention it has been used in the title of this specification even though it is not generally used.
Although devices of the type involved with the present invention are on occasion referred to as "toys" or "games" these terms are so broad as to give no indication of any specific type of structure. On occasion expressions such as "talking board", "message interpreting device", "fortune telling device", "communication board" and many others have been used to designate devices in the field of the present invention. Such designations tend to be somewhat misleading and are not considered to be generally accepted as indicating devices which are related to those of this invention.
Probably the problem of the absence of freely useable, commonly recognized generic terminology for use in indicating devices of the type involved with the present invention can be traced to social and religious attitudes with respect to these devices. The fact that it is reasonably established that they can be used in connection with the treatment of certain mental disorders by giving an indication of normally repressed thoughts and feelings within a person's subconscious does not detract from their normal association with the vaguely understood, loosely defined occult and psychic fields. Because of the ways these fields have been considered by many and because for many years there was a lack of serious investigation of these fields it is considered that adequate generic language has not been generally adopted in at least English for what are referred to in this specification as "psychographs".
During the use of psychographs of the type to which this invention pertains the planchette is located on the upper surface of the bottom member and is then normally engaged by the digits on at least one hand of at least one user. It is normally believed that if the user or users are then in a relaxed or trance-like mental state that the planchette will move as a result of noncounsciously controlled muscle movement to specific indicia so as to convey a meaning or message. Although such indica may provide an answer to a specific question in this type of psychograph more commonly this type of device is constructed so that the indicia are merely letters which have to be sequentially identified by the planchette in indicating a message or meaning.
As psychographs of the variety indicated are used the planchette is frequently moved quite rapidly from one location to another and frequently it is rather difficult to determine whether or not the planchette has or has not designated a specific indicia such as a specific letter or number. This can be rather critical to a message or communication being comprehensible or having a desired meaning. As a result of this it is considered that there is a need to improve the construction of psychographs of the type to which this invention relates so that the indicia designated during planchette movement are clearly and distinctly indicated.